Six Dead in DR Congo Protest Crackdown

SIX people were killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday as the authorities cracked down on a banned protest against President Joseph Kabila.

Security forces fired live rounds and tear gas in Kinshasa to disperse demonstrators who had gathered after Catholic church leaders called for a mass peaceful demonstration against Kabila’s 17-year rule.

The UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO said six people were killed in Kinshasa and 49 others injured nationwide in anti-Kabila rallies.

It added that 94 people were arrested across the country.

Sunday’s bloody crackdown comes three weeks after a similar march on New Year’s Eve ended in deadly violence, during which organizers said a dozen people were killed.

The Internet, email and social media messaging networks were cut in the capital ahead of the march.